How To Report A Trucking Company To DOT: 3 Actions To Take

A lawyer’s response to a plea from a truck driver being pressured by his employer to break the laws

To report a trucking company for breaking safety violations you can (1) Call 1-888-DOT-SAFT (888-368-7238), (2) submit an online complaint to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s National Consumer Complaint Database, or (3) call 911 for safety-related emergencies.

I recently received a plea for help from a truck driver who e-mailed me:

“The company that I drive for has me doing illegal runs. I feel if I don’t do them, my miles will be cut or they will find a way to get rid of me. I need to care for my family. I have been to many companies and they are all the same. The one I’m with now is the worst. I’m looking for other employment and coping the best I can. Is there anyone I can talk to like a whistle blower organization? Or maybe a letter to the secretary of transportation? Companies, dispatchers, shippers and receivers need to be held accountable until we have better legislation in place to address this. Us truckers will always be at the bottom of the hill. And of course we know which direction s##t rolls.”

This isn’t the first request from truck drivers asking for help to report a trucking company to DOT or FMCSA. It really bothers me because it gets to the heart of so much of the tragedy that I see as an attorney protecting people who have been injured after serious truck wrecks.

Most truckers, and many trucking companies, are good and law-abiding. The truck drivers I’ve represented over the years want to do the right thing.  Most abide by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (FMSCRs). But just like with this truck driver who e-mailed me for help, sometimes employers pressure and threaten truck drivers to disregard the Hours of Service regulations, to skip pre-trip inspections, and to speed.

In response to this trucker’s inquiry, I wrote a blog post about the Surface Transportation Act, which, at its most basic level, provides whistle blower protection for truck drivers and trucking company employees who report violations of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (FMCSRs). This federal law, 49 U.S.C. §31105, also protects truckers who refuse to operate a commercial motor vehicle in violation of federal safety regulations, standards and orders, or because of the vehicle’s hazardous safety condition.

How to report a trucking company to the FMCSA

Not only can you report a trucking company to DOT you can also report the trucking company to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) for violations of safety regulations and rules such as requiring drivers to exceed the Hours-of-Service rules, operate unsafe vehicles and speed, a truck driver can do one or more of the following:

• File a complaint with the FMCSA National Consumer Complaint Database.
• The Call FMCSA’s toll-free phone number 888-DOT-SAFT (888-368-7238)to report an unsafe trucking company.
• Call 911 for safety emergency.

For more information, check out the FMCSA’s “Report Safety Violations” page.

The FMCSA understands how tricky reporting an employer (the hand that feeds you) is for a truck driver and so it allows anonymous reporting of safety violations.

Need help reporting a trucking company to DOT or FMCSA? Call the attorneys at Michigan Auto Law

If you have questions about reporting a trucking company to DOT or FMCSA, call the truck accident lawyers at Michigan Auto Law now for a free consultation. There is no cost or obligation. You can also visit our contact page or use the chat feature on our website.

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